TIL that many autistic people have an increased # of serotonin neurons in specific sensory parts of the brain, resulting in a more heightened sensory experience (rs6311 CC)
Checkout the gene 'rs6311' gene expression 'CC', and you might just find the gene you have that links to sensory issues, hahah.
Turns out the 'CC' genotype for this gene expression is directly linked to:
sensory overload
auditory hypersensitivity
light sensitivity
texture sensitivity
cognitive rigidity
OCD-like thought loops
Who would've thought that extra serotonin could be such a painful thing??
Edit: painful was the right word, not 'bad'
It's painful for me to hear that stuff sometimes.
"The 5-HT in barrel cortex is actually contained in glutamatergic thalamocortical axons that lack synthetic capacity but take up extracellular 5-HT via SERT (Lebrand et al., 1996). It remains unclear, however, how 5-HT captured by TCAs plays a functional role during neurodevelopment."
Based on that, if I took a guess, I'd be willing to guess you maybe can see slightly more cues than other autistics BUT you probably also struggle with serotonin differences (maybe have executive function issues, possibly, but it fluctuates?) and then the extra serotonin from 6311 gene probably means noises / textures gets extra painful
And since serotonin could still be dysregulated, it can also by extension dysregulate oxytocin too so I'd guess serotonin changes probably impact that feelings of social connectedness to others a lot more intensely, compared to someone like me who just almost never feels that at all lol
Well, my psych describes me as someone who, "Is really good at connecting with other people considering how obviously autistic" I am. But that I seem to not notice that I am connecting with others. I have sensory issues, especially auditory, but all are affected. Sensitive to lights, sounds, tastes, touch, my own feelings and physical sensations...Some sounds are especially painful. My entire body hurts. I do see lots of details and have strong pattern recognition. I have a mutation in an oxytocin receptor that I know has been identified in some autism study/studies.
What do you mean that you almost never feel "that" at all? Like you don't feel social connectedness?
EDIT: I think I struggled with executive function more when I was a kid, but I am a lot better at it and I like to be organized for the most part, visual clutter is overwhelming.
The social connectedness aspect - reduced oxytocin signaling - means that to some extent, I feel nearly the same when I talk to an AI as another person UNLESS that person is someone deeply special to me. (Like my husband, and my two close friends)
But like a surface level friend, or a coworker, or anyone like that, there's just nothing there and it feels WAY more like an obligation than anything enjoyable.
Gosh it's so cool you got a CT for that gene! I could learn so much from you about social dynamics in that case 👀
Haha. I think I can relate to what you experience to a certain degree. But, when I connect with someone, it is very deep and I get really attached. Hm, maybe that's what you just described? Would you mind sharing the research you used to put that genotype map together? This is cool, thanks!
That’s interesting, thanks for sharing. It definitely has benefits to notice the details but can be very overwhelming. I could hear the electricity in my heating pad yesterday.
It's not a 'bad' thing at all. Imagine being able to hear, feel, and experience the world at a heightened level. If the majority were autistic, then what’s considered 'normal' today might actually be perceived as 'mentally challenged.'
I'm so sorry that you experience pain from your sensory sensitivities. I honestly thought you meant ‘bad’ in an ironic sense. I feel like many people see autism as a flaw or a disease, but I see it differently. I know it can be incredibly difficult, but when those heightened experiences are understood, controlled, and managed, they hold so much potential for deep insight and unique perspectives.
I've often had to tell allistic people discussing sensory issues in autistic people that sensory seeking (hyposensitivity) is also a thing, because I'm tactile sensory seeking.
6
u/ReinaRocio Mar 01 '25
Interesting info for sure. Could you share your source where you learned this from? Would love to have a look into it myself.